Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1952)

177 FIG. 3: WHO, answered by the CU, is finest scene in amateur films. 4 sees, from 5 feet does the job. FIG. 4: WHY is suggested by this action insert of birthday boy and candled cake. Make it snappy 2-4 seconds, warns card, at extra-close camera range. FIG. 5: WHILE is the reason for the reaction shot, weaving into the main theme the parallel actions prompted by it. Short, says plotter, at distance serving shot. THE FIVE FUNCTIONS Where (see Fig. 1) serves film continuity by showing where the action will take place. Is the setting a beach, a national park, your backyard or your dining room? The scene which answers this opening question is the long shot. The term is relative, of course, for a long shot in a dining room might be quite close in a national park. But the purpose is the same in each case: to state the setting. What (see Fig. 2) in film continuity is answered by the medium shot. Its purpose is to show clearly the action taking place in the setting just established by the long shot. In it, full-length human figures will dominate the scene, and the camera will be back only just far enough to include a recognizable element of the long-shot setting. Who, the closeup (see Fig. 3), is the most important and effective scene in amateur movies — especially around the home. For in it your camera is in close and it pictures clearly and appealingly every expression of the face, the hands, the eyes, or whatever other feature it photographs. Why, in defining the function of the insert (see Fig. 4) , is generally pictured in extreme closeup. Why does the quietly reading man start? Because the doorbell has rung urgently (CU of an insistent finger on the bell push). Why is the woman plunged in tears? Because she has received bad news (CU of the message of a telegram in her tense fingers) . Why are the children laughing and wearing funny hats? Because one of them is having a birthday party (CU of a cake with eight candles). While, in suggesting the purpose of the reaction shot (see Fig. 5), cannot be assigned to any single type of scene. Its primary function is to depict parallel action: while the train was roaring down on the helpless heroine, the hero was rushing to her rescue; while the star halfback was running for a touchdown, the crowd was yelling itself wild; while the birthday kids were enjoying the party, the grownups in the background were enjoying their fun. These, then, are the building blocks with which all movies are made. How they may be put together is shown clearly and visually by the Kodak Movie Organizer. DESIGN OF THE DIAL As you will see in the illustrations, the five functional words Where, What, Who, Why and While (or Meanwhile) are spaced in an arc across the computer's top. As you set the upper arrow opposite any one of these words, the other arrows (at left, right and bottom) indicate in turn how long the shot should run, how far your camera should be from your subject and the purpose (or function) of the shot in question. It is. so help us, just as simple as that! But let's take an example to make these magical operations crystal clear. Put the upper arrow (What this shot says) on the word Where, as in Fig. 1. In the left-middle window (How long this shot runs) you will find the following: "6 to 10 sec., opening; 5 to 7. closing a scene." In the right-middle window (How far from camera to subject) you will find "Long shot; 20 feet or more." And at the bottom (What this shot shows) you will find: "Location of the action which is to be (or which has been) shown." You'll get the same kind of detailed, exact data upon dialing each of the other four functional words. Furthermore, there are distributed about the face of the computer brief, cogent comments relating either generally or specifically to the problem of film planning. "For variety," the plotter states in its center circle, "change camera angle or distance, or both, for next shot." And along the same lines "Avoid running camera same length of time for every shot." Below [Continued on page 183]